


timebound

by thoustars



Category: ITZY (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Drama & Romance, F/F, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:22:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoustars/pseuds/thoustars
Summary: Yeji had always admired Jisu from afar since the start of high school. As their high school years draw closer to an end, the idea of dating became a priority in mind. Strangely enough, she finds herself entangled with a stranger she met on the school rooftop who claimed to be her daughter from the future and was back to help them get together, Ryujin.
Relationships: Choi Jisu | Lia/Hwang Yeji, Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin
Kudos: 25





	1. Short-haired Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This is **not** incest, for those who are wondering. Watch how the story will slowly unfold. The plot was originally inspired from a webdrama film titled 'Love Buzz' on Playlist Global's Youtube channel, so go and check it out if you're interested!

**Yeji stared at the blackboard** in a daze as she slowly sipped her strawberry milk. Chaeryeong, who had just arrived, jokingly hit Yeji’s back, causing her to choke on her drink.

Yeji looked at Chaeryeong with narrowed eyes as the latter simply laughed at her best friend.

“My bad,” Chaeryeong said as she took the seat next to Yeji. “What were you staring at?” She looked at the same direction and noticed something, a mischievous smirk growing on her lips.

“What is it now?” Yeji asked, annoyed.

“You’re staring at Choi Jisu again, aren’t you?” Yeji’s eyes widened.

“I wasn’t,” she said, looking away as she was afraid Chaeryeong would spot her cheeks growing red.

“I know you have a crush on that girl,” Chaeryeong said. “It’s reasonable. I mean— I would totally like her, too.” Yeji turned to her best friend, hopes growing as her eyes suddenly sparkled.

Chaeryeong smiled. “Be confident, Ji. It’s about time you date, anyway— or at least try to,” she said, standing up to leave. “I’m off, got to meet that Yuna girl who’s suspended for picking fights with the seniors.”

Yeji was left alone with her own thoughts. Her eyes mindlessly drifted to Jisu’s back.

It caught her by surprise when she turned around, and their eyes met.

Even from a distance, Yeji could tell how beautiful she actually was. When she smiled, she stood out even more.

Yeji’s fantasies were short-lived as Jisu stood to leave the room as well.

 _What if I confess now?_ Chaeryeong’s words consistently echoed inside her mind. _Be confident. It’s about time you date, anyway,_ it said.

 _That’s it,_ Yeji thought, standing up in a haste as she crumpled her strawberry milk box. _I’m confessing today._

Yeji lost track of Jisu but tried to see if she could catch up to her, letting her end up at the school’s rooftop. She looked around and saw that Jisu wasn’t really there.

She sighed in defeat, disappointment taking over her as she sat on one of the abandoned and vandalized seats. She closed her eyes, taking her time to inhale the fresh breeze despite the warm weather.

It was her, and her alone—to her thoughts, to herself.

_Did she like Choi Jisu that bad? Or was it all really just infatuation?_

But then again, how do you know it’s _love_ if you don’t start from _like_?

“Hwang Yeji.” The female opened her eyes and turned left and right, but no one was there. The voice wasn’t really familiar to her either—it surely wasn’t Chaeryeong or any of her classmates, now who would it be?

“Hwang Yeji.” It called again, a bit louder.

Yeji finally turned around. Her eyes met with a female whose short hair was dyed blonde. She emanated quite a strong aura despite having both hands behind her back.

Yeji examined her clothes. Who is she? She isn’t wearing a school uniform; she’s just wearing casual clothes. I’ve never seen her before. What is she doing here?

“Who…” Yeji asked, confused. She tried her best to remember but nothing came to mind. She had absolutely no idea who she was.

The short-haired female walked closer to Yeji with small steps. She raised her hand and, with an awkward yet soft smile, waved at her.

“Hi, _mom_.”


	2. Ryujin

**Yeji’s eyes widened. _Surely_** _the stranger was joking, right?_

In the first place, what was an outsider doing here?

“It might be too much, but—” the stranger said, scratching her neck shyly. “I’m your daughter from the future.”

Yeji couldn’t believe her ears, nor her eyes. More so, she couldn’t believe the female who spouted nonsense in front of her. _Time travel? I'm still alive by the time that's possible?_

“Uh—” As if by cue, Chaeryeong arrived. “Yeji, Choi Jisu’s calling you—” Even Chaeryeong was shocked at the sudden sight of the short-haired girl. She eyed Yeji, as if asking her _‘do you know her?’_ with her gaze.

Yeji rushed over to Chaeryeong and pulled her away. “I’ve been waiting for you since forever!” she exclaimed with awkward laughter as they both walked away, leaving the short-haired girl alone.

“Hey,” Chaeryeong eyed Yeji as their faces were huddled close together. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know,” Yeji said, trying her best to shrug off the thought but only being able to groan in frustration as she couldn’t get the girl out of her head.

On the other hand, the short-haired girl who was left by herself on the rooftop stared at the sky, and at her wrist. The numbers 10:24, the time of the day, lit up on her skin.

She sighed, turning her back to see if anyone was around and checking if she was truly alone.

“It’s me,” she whispered to herself. “Ryujin.”


	3. Counting to Ten

**The next day, Yeji** was back to her usual routine, sipping on banana milk this time—she drank different drinks everyday—and tapping her pen on her head, trying to see if there’s an answer to the math question she had been stuck with for a good twenty minutes.

It was five o’clock in the afternoon and she was alone in the classroom, patiently waiting for Chaeryeong to finish her dance practice so that they could walk home together.

The afternoon breeze blew, sending Yeji into a wave of nostalgia.

Her thoughts were suddenly broken once Choi Jisu entered the room. At the sight of Yeji, she immediately smiled at her, causing the latter’s cheeks to redden.

She proceeded to grab her bag and was about to leave when Yeji called her name. “Hm?” Jisu replied.

This is it, Yeji, she thought to herself as she subtly bit her lip nervously. Ask her out for a date once, and it’s done. It’s worth a shot, her inner voice whispered.

“M—Mind coming to a date with me?” she asked, her eyes focused on how Jisu will react.

Jisu smiled, so did Yeji. _There’s hope,_ she thought to herself.

“I’m truly sorry, but I have no interest in dating as of now,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Though it would be truly nice to be closer friends with you, Hwang Yeji.” She flashed a genuine smile before leaving.

Yeji was devastated as she plopped on her chair, eyes staring into space as she felt her body go numb.

 _I’ve been rejected, for good,_ she thought to herself.

“That’s what you think.” Yeji raised her head to meet the short-haired girl leaning by the door frame, her arms crossed as she gazed at her knowingly.

She walked closer and took a seat on the chair in front of Yeji, turning it to face her. She then flashed her an innocent smile.

“Nice to finally meet you, mom,” she said as she examined Yeji’s pale expression. Nonetheless, she saw that Yeji still had the energy to be surprised at the sight of the familiar stranger.

After a few seconds of silence, Yeji was so close to believing that she really was her daughter; at the same time, she wasn’t—but at this point, she was tired of the stranger bugging her.

She might have been onto something.

“If you really are my daughter,” Yeji started. “Then who’s my partner?”

Ryujin finally saw hope and smiled. “Choi Jisu.”

Yeji’s eyes widened. _No fucking way,_ she thought to herself.

“How—” Ryujin drew closer to Yeji with sparkling eyes.

“You want to make her yours faster, right?” Ryujin suggested.

Yeji was filled with doubt, but hope still flashed right at her eyes like light waiting to be seen at the end of such a dark tunnel. “Wait, but she just turned me down earlier,” she said.

“That doesn’t matter,” Ryujin insisted. “Who says love doesn’t occur with second chances?”

 _She’s right,_ Yeji thought.

“Plus,” she continued. “Am I not enough proof? I’m your daughter,” she said, pointing at herself.

Yeji’s cheeks flushed pink.

“Are you really—” Ryujin had an innocent eye smile as Yeji brought her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment.

“I thought you wanted to date as well?” Ryujin said, her gaze turning sincere. “This will make things faster. It’s my goal. It’s the reason why I came back.” She smiled.

Surely, Yeji was reluctant, but when Ryujin observed this, she sighed and looked at her wrist. Pressing once, she disappeared into thin air and reappeared in front of Yeji, causing her mouth to open in shock.

“Your friend will be coming in within exactly ten seconds. She’ll notice that her house keys are lost and that she left them at home.” Yeji started to unconsciously count inside her head as Ryujin talked. _One. Two._ “If that comes true and you’ll learn to trust me enough, then by tomorrow, go to the gymnasium at lunchtime. Meet me there and oh— buy ice cream for me.” Three. Four. Five. The blonde mischievously clicked her tongue with a smug expression. Before leaving, she turned her back and faced Yeji.

Yeji was still busy counting.

_Six. Seven. Eight. Nine._

“Thanks for waiting for me, let’s go?” She almost jumped when she saw Chaeryeong at the door. The latter simply looked at her with clueless eyes. “What?”

Yeji couldn’t believe it. _Impossible._

“Did you meet a girl by the hall? The one with the blonde hair that we met at the rooftop?” Her friend simply looked at her with knitted brows, confused.

“What? I didn’t see her. Was she here?” Chaeryeong asked as she walked towards Yeji to get her bag. “No one was in the halls— I swear.”

Chaeryeong started rummaging inside her bag. “Oh?” she exclaimed.

“What is it?” Yeji asked. _It can’t be._

“Ah, right,” her best friend said, a hand to her forehead and an upset expression on her face. “I left my keys.”

Goosebumps.

_Go to the gymnasium at lunchtime. Meet me there and oh— buy ice cream for me._

_There’s no harm in trying, right?_

At this point, Yeji was intrigued— and she was more than willing to find out if Jisu really was in her future.


	4. Basketball and Ice Cream

**Yeji sat on the gym** bleachers as she patiently waited, anxious eyes wandering as she held a cup of vanilla ice cream in hand. Lunchtime had just started yet she had already seen the members of the basketball varsity team enter, their shoes making that annoying noise that she never seemed to get used to.

She looked around again. No signs of the blonde girl.

_Wait, what was her name, anyway?_

Yeji spotted Jisu enter the gym with her friends from the cheerleading squad. _Yes_ , she was part of the cheerleading squad. She’s a good student, a cheerleader, and an incredibly nice person—what’s not to like about her?

Only then did Yeji notice that she was headed this way. She never really imagined how she would face Jisu again after that rejection, but she was sure she couldn’t face her just yet. She didn’t have the guts to do so.

“Hey,” someone whispered behind Yeji, causing her to jolt in surprise before turning around. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the familiar blonde girl who had a smile on her face as she waved.

“You’re late! What am I supposed to do with this?!” Yeji said with an annoyed tone as she held out the cup of ice cream. Ryujin’s smile grew wider.

“Just trust me when I say stand up over there and act like you’re trying to watch the boys play basketball,” she whispered to Yeji. The latter’s forehead crinkled in confusion. _Was she making a fool of her or was she real?_

 _Then again, I was already starting to make a fool of myself when I chose to believe her,_ Yeji thought.

She sighed and obliged with Ryujin’s command. Weight on one leg with arms crossed, she watched the boys play, as if trying to analyze their gameplay when in reality, she didn’t understand a thing—all she knew was that it was a game of passing, dribbling, and shooting. Nothing else.

Feeling impatient, she turned around.

Before she could even register what was happening, she was already on the ground with Choi Jisu on top of her, and the ice cream that she once held was now staining her blouse.

She looked behind Jisu and found the blonde girl, her hoodie up on her head, making her almost unrecognizable. Jisu’s friends couldn’t do anything once she made a run for it after saying sorry, but Yeji could’ve sworn she saw her flash a mischievous smirk before she left.

 _I did everything, now it’s your turn, Hwang Yeji,_ Ryujin whispered as she got out of the gym, pulling her hood down and clasping both hands behind her head.

“I’m so sorry!” Jisu said as she hurriedly stood up. Why is this so cliché? Yeji asked herself. I swear, that girl could have at least told me the plan first before she did anything.

Upon standing up, Yeji flinched as she felt a stinging pain on her elbow. Looking at it, she had noticed that it had been grazed, and Jisu saw it as well. She gasped in shock.

“I’m very sorry! I’ll take you to the clinic and let you borrow my spare clothes— I’m really, really sorry,” she said with her head lowered.

Yeji could only sigh.

 _Blonde girl, your plan is definitely not working,_ she thought to herself. She headed to the clinic herself, and Jisu hurriedly followed after, loose silence between the two as neither of them had the energy to speak about the situation.

When they got to the clinic, Yeji reached for the first aid kit and sat down on one of the beds. Jisu rushed to assist her, grabbing the disinfectant and gauze pad from her, their hands touching, causing Yeji’s cheeks to redden. Luckily, Jisu didn’t see it as she proceeded to aid her wound.

“I’m really sorry— I feel really bad,” Jisu said. Yeji was too busy gazing at the way her hair beautifully fell down on her shoulders and how she tucked the stray strands behind her ear, giving her a clear view of her smooth and pale skin, as well as her long eyelashes.

Yeji had to cough and turn her head to keep her from closing the distance between them. _Keep it together,_ Yeji, she thought to herself.

As she glanced at the window, she almost jumped in shock when she saw Ryujin looking at her. The short-haired female started made weird and exaggerated gestures, making Yeji’s eyebrows knit in confusion.

_What is she doing? Ask— tell, her— eat, outside?_

Yeji’s eyes lit up as she got Ryujin’s message.

As if she knew she had nothing to lose, she called her. “Jisu.”

She looked up. Their eyes met, and Yeji could see how clear Jisu’s brown eyes were at this time of day with the ray of light dawning upon her face just right.

It was majestic, if she were to say so for herself.

“If you’re really sorry,” Yeji said, eyes with a fierce and blazing gaze that made even Jisu intrigued and hypnotized to not look away. “Then mind treating me to dinner after school?”

Meanwhile, Ryujin who was outside, moved away from the window and leaned on the wall with crossed arms. She looked at her wrist and saw the time—12:45, it said.

 _Five chances left,_ she thought to herself.

_Just a little bit more, Ryujin, before you can undo the damage the two of you have done._


	5. Their Date and Arcades

**Yeji plopped on the** chair and placed her head down on the table once she arrived. She asked Ryujin to meet her after her date with Jisu. Glancing at the clock, Ryujin noticed it was already 8:23 at night.

“Hey, don’t you have a curfew or something? It’s getting late,” she said. She honestly didn’t know why Yeji seemed so down, but judging from that, it seems like the date might not have gone well.

Yeji lazily hummed in response before lifting her head. She pouted at Ryujin, causing her to smile.

“Hey,” Ryujin said with soft chuckles. “What happened? You seemed to be really happy earlier— Did it go _that_ bad?”

With a pout, Yeji nodded. Remembering what happened only caused her to bang her head on the table, causing Ryujin to jolt in surprise.

“Hey, relax, maybe it wasn’t really that bad,” she said, patting her shoulder before proceeding to call a waiter in charge to serve them.

“I’ll have a burger and fries, and— What about you?” Ryujin said as she patted Yeji.

“I’ll have the chicken with rice, plus ice cream and a burger meal,” she said before having her head down again. Ryujin apologetically smiled at the waiter before she left.

“What happened? I need an answer,” Ryujin said.

“I don’t want to talk yet— I’m hungry,” Yeji replied. The short-haired female could only sigh in return. They waited for the food to arrive, and when it did, Yeji gobbled it down like there was no tomorrow.

“You know what,” she said as ketchup messily stained her lips. She swallowed the food in her mouth before she continued talking. “I was so shy the entire date that I didn’t get to eat as much as I wanted. It was quiet as hell, too. Every time I struck up a topic, it’d end so quickly and I didn’t know how to keep it going.” Yeji continued to eat her food as Ryujin stared at her, dumbfounded.

“This is how you should have acted during your date— You’re way better off this way,” Ryujin said. By that, she meant _charming_. Yeji was too focused on eating that she didn’t pay attention to what Ryujin was saying, though.

 _Seriously,_ Ryujin thought. _What should I do with you?_

“You know what,” Ryujin said. “Let’s come to an arcade after this.”

Yeji’s eyes lit up at the mention of an arcade. She nodded excitedly, her formerly dull presence suddenly sparkling with anticipation.

“By the way,” Yeji said as she ate. “You haven’t really told me your name— What is it?”

Ryujin’s eyes widened. _She’s right, after all this time, I haven’t really told her my name._

“It’s Ryujin.” Yeji simply nodded and smiled before she continued eating.

**. . .**

Proceeding to the arcade, Ryujin pointed to a shooting game with a pout of her lips. Yeji clapped in excitement but soon put on a smug expression, as if challenging the other.

“I’m actually really good at shooting games— you might be really surprised,” she said with narrowed eyes. Ryujin scoffed, causing Yeji’s smug expression to falter. “We’ll see about that. I come here all the time,” the short-haired countered.

“Wait, this still exists in the future?” For a second, Yeji could have sworn Ryujin had hesitated before she answered with a yes. Nonetheless, she shook the thought off and proceeded to the game.

After one round, Yeji won. Squealing and happily applauding, she kept teasing Ryujin who couldn’t seem to accept defeat.

“That was pure luck,” she said, proceeding to position her hand on the gun again. “Let’s go for Round 2.”

When she noticed that even in the second round that Yeji was leading, she jokingly covered Yeji’s eyes, causing the latter to exclaim, “Hey, cut it out! That’s cheating.” The two bickered as if they were in their own world, like children who were having the time of their lives at an arcade.

“Oh, Ryujin? Don’t you have school today?” It caught both Ryujin and Yeji’s attention when an employee at the arcade called Ryujin’s name.

“You might have confused me with someone else,” she answered with an uneasy smile.

“Ah really?” the employee said as he scratched his head. “You look a lot like someone I know— Anyways, sorry to interrupt,” he said before he left.

As Yeji simply went back to playing the game as if nothing happened, Ryujin moved away from the game, tapping Yeji’s shoulder. “This game’s boring— Let’s go home.” With that, they left. Ryujin brought her home.

**. . .**

“You sure you’ll be fine by yourself?” Yeji said as she stood by the door of her home. Ryujin tucked both hands in her sweater pockets and coolly nodded. She turned around, waving goodbye and not minding Yeji’s concerned expression.

 _I hope she gets back fine,_ Yeji thought to herself with a pout as she entered her home.

Meanwhile, Ryujin was alone again to her own thoughts. She peeked at her wrist and saw the time, 10:32.

 _I guess we had too much fun,_ she thought to herself.

_If only it could be just like this in the future._


End file.
